Ethan's New Trick!

Ethan has decided that he is tired of showing us tricks we've seen our other children do.

So, he came up with a new trick!

I had to snap this photo fast because Daddy was VERY nervous!

Feeling Loved

I love having my school-aged children home for the summer! I eagerly look forward to it every year. I like the relaxed schedule that summer brings-- not worrying if a family outing puts us home after bedtime, being able to sleep in a little extra, more time for family games, no homework, etc.

One thing has been hard though-- NAPTIME! My school-aged children seem to no longer KNOW how to be quiet during this precious time of day. Ethan, who is the only one lucky enough to still take naps, has been having trouble staying asleep with the extra noise in this home.

On Thursday, Ethan was awakened about half way into his nap. I got him up but after only a few minutes it was obvious from his fussiness that he needed to go back to bed. I took him back to his room and rocked him in my arms. He immediately relaxed and looked up at me while we listened to his music play. I thought about how comfortable he seemed in my arms which reminded me about how comfortable I feel in my husband's arms. I feel so loved when he holds me. And even though Ethan might not understand the words "I love you" yet, I know that he feels my love when he is in my arms. I love you Ethan!

Ethan Discovers New Territory!

This was Ethan's first time climbing on the table. I was snapping a few pictures while thinking about how I was only encouraging this risky behavior when he dropped that Ragu bottle on the floor. Thankfully it didn't pop open and spill everywhere like one did when Jack dropped it on the carpet a few weeks ago. Remember?

My new kitchen chair cushions were spared for another day. They have already experienced chocolate, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, RED paint and various crumbs. Luckily, all of these happened AFTER I treated them with Scotchguard (Thanks Jacquie!) and I was able to get all of the stains out. I was scared when I saw the red paint but the hardest one to clean out of the cushions was the definitely the chocolate!

Doesn't my boy look so proud of himself for discovering new territory? He is such a cutie!

Happy Birthday Nana!

For my mother's birthday, we recorded each of the children on video wishing her a Happy Birthday in their own special way. I was surprised when I was able to get the older three children all singing Happy Birthday to You at the same time without being too silly-- on the FIRST try! You mothers KNOW how amazing this is!

Making the Girls Go Wild!

Jack told me that he should be on a commercial for school supplies. He said that if Walmart ran a commercial with him wearing his backpack and giving a wink, all of the girls would automatically run to Walmart to buy their school supplies!

Sibling Rivalry DOES Help Prepare Us For Parenthood!

As children, my sister and I learned how to sit on each other in a way that would allow us to hold down our "enemy" while allowing both of our hands to be free. You probably know the move too. The "enemy" is on her back. You straddle her with your knees holding down her arms.

Joshua sometimes gives me a hard time when I am trying to brush his teeth. This too may sound familiar to you. : ) We all know how important dental hygiene is to our health. So, I have discovered that I can sit on Joshua in the manner described above and brush his teeth while he laughs about it. (Don't worry, he is so tiny that I don't actually have to put any of my weight on him.)

Isn't it great how we can use the things we learned as children to help us in these situations?

Family Fun at its Finest!

Ethan Shows Joshua How It's Done!

I changed Ethan's stinky diaper and then dressed Joshua for the day. When I went to pick Ethan up, he was stinky again! "I just changed you little stinker!" I checked his diaper and it was clean but he REALLY was stinky so I knew more was coming. I put him on Joshua's potty and sure enough HE POOPED!

No, I don't actually believe he is ready to be potty-trained... but, I saved myself a diaper!

Later that day when I was telling someone about it, Joshua (who was right there in the bathroom when it happened and hasn't pooped on the potty for months) said, "I go poop in the potty." Yeah, right! :)

These Shoes Were Made For Walking!

When I tried to put shoes on Ethan before, he would always just pull them off. Now that he is walking, I knew he needed some good shoes to wear when we go out. He loves his new shoes so much that he asks for us to put them on by saying "shoes, shoes..."

He looks so cute in his Stride Rites!

Can You Figure Out How Well Potty Training Is Going?

I noticed Joshua bending over a little and pushing so we had the following conversation:

Me: Joshua, don't poopie in your diaper. Poopie in the potty so we can make cookies.

Joshua: No, I don't want to poopie in the potty. I want to poopie in my diaper.

Me: Don't you want to make cookies?

Joshua: I don't want a cookie. I want a poopie diaper.